Welcome back followers of the Golden Griffins to this year’s edition of the Campus Chronicles. I’m Chris Rumble and I will be your behind-the-scenes aficionado for the 2013-14 season. Before I get started, lets take a minute to relish in the success of last year’s senior class and congratulate them on furthering their hockey dreams.

Preston Shupe – Preston enjoyed the most successful season of his entire collegiate career in 2012-13. His efforts have awarded him with not only an ECHL contract (Bakersfield Condors), but also an invite to the Oklahoma City Barons’ (American Hockey League) training camp. Good luck to him as they get underway this week!

Ben Parker – Ben also enjoyed his most impressive season. He tripled his point total from the year before (3-9–12) and was the backbone to our penalty kill. With that, Ben was offered a few different professional contracts. He chose to stay and complete his degree before making a decision this summer. Ben has signed an ECHL contract with the Alaska Aces.

Our other two seniors, Torrey Lindsay and Chris Barrea, have chosen to pursue their professional careers in the workplace. Torrey has a very high-up role running hockey camps in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has been doing that for several years now and will have a chance to take that to the next level during this hockey season. Chris Barrea is staying local and continuing his advancement in the company “1-800-Got-Junk.” He was offered a higher position throughout the summer months and is now working as a shift-manager.

We wish all of the now alumni the best of luck as they further their professional careers on and off the ice.

Coming off of a championship season, we have all been very excited to get back into town and get things rolling. Everyone held themselves accountable this summer and came back in, what is rumored to be, the best shape the team has collectively ever been in. The fitness testing was a great way to see how much each guy really cared about the upcoming season.

We are now six weeks into classes and everyone’s schedule has finally started to settle down as we become more comfortable in our new settings. Everyone except Duncan McKellar, that is. Because of scheduling conflicts with his major, Duncs had to take three online classes this semester. So he’s had to adjust to being more of a home-schooled student. We miss seeing him around campus. The four new freshmen have taken very little time to adapt to the college lifestyle. They are fitting in well and making plenty of friends along the way.

In preparation for the season, which starts in roughly two weeks, the Griffs have been hitting the ice hard, readying themselves for a season opener against rival Niagara (Oct. 12). Everyone is pumped. The strenuous workouts, the rigorous practices, the in-depth video meetings, and the three months of grueling summer training will all be worth it when the puck finally drops.

Thanks for your support and thanks for reading!

Keep your stick on the ice,Chris Rumble

This week marks the last set of each day before our season officially gets underway. The annual exhibition game against a Canadian University is something the team always looks forward to - it really puts a cap on the preseason. There’s something refreshing about finally getting to play against a team that isn’t comprised of your own friends. Expect some big hits.

One of the things the Griffs have been focusing on lately is team building. As with every year, a new group of guys results in a new team dynamic. The activities we’ve been arranging help everyone get to see different sides of their new teammates. This week we spent a few hours bowling. Our captain, Ryan Bohrer, split us up into carefully organized teams. Each group of 4 was required to come up with a ‘theme.’ As usual, Team Toronto (Ralph Cuddemi, Jack Hidi, Tony Capobianco and Taylor Law) sported their usual Blue Jays hats. However, the best outfit of the day went to Capo, who took the next step by completing his outfit with a league-issued baseball glove & ball. But just like the Blue Jays, his team didn’t fare well.

As far as form goes, Kyle Gibbons and Brandon Russo were easily the only two who looked like they knew what they were doing. Those guys can really spin the ball.

But in the end it’s all about who gets the job done. This time it was Team Coast (Duncan McKellar, Adam Harris, Chris Rumble and Logan Roe) who fired the highest combined score of the day [565]. Some say it was the flexibility in the arms from wearing tank tops, others say it was sheer athleticism. We think it was the bumpers.

Less than a handful of practices remain until we get to hear the new warm-up mix that DJ-RalphCuddemi93 is preparing for us. It will be worth a listen.

That’s another week in the books for us here at Canisius College. Thanks for reading! We hope to see everyone at the exhibition game on Sunday, October 4 at 4 p.m. at the Buffalo State Ice Arena. Your continued support means everything to the program.